derringer
4
9.9
- noun
- /ˈdɛrɪŋər/
:
derringer
- He always kept a small derringer hidden in his coat for protection.
- derringer pistol
- .32 derringer
- caliber derringer
Examples
-
Archer hobbled away from Maggie to the melee, reached into his pocket, and took out the derringer.
Fiction book (2002) -
He's a two-gun plainsman, and in addition, carries a derringer in his vest pocket as a hide out.
-
Carried a little derringer around like that.
-
Frank said he pulled a derringer.
-
I thought that little derringer of yours looked a little bit too well used to be a sample.
-
A small silver pistol, the size of a Derringer.
Fiction book (2001) -
"So before leaving, he put his mother's derringer pistol in his pocket.
Academic text (1992) -
She said, "I always wanted a derringer."
Fiction book (1995) -
She discreetly pulls a little derringer from her evening bag.
Fiction book (1992) -
She's also been known to carry a silver-plated derringer, one she's used more than once.
Synonyms
268
2.1
A small gun you hold and fire with one hand
187
4.6
A small gun that you hold and fire with one hand
20
4.6
A small gun carried at a person's side for protection
A small gun that often appears in old stories
How Concealable
Surface Forms
Etymology
Derringer comes from the name of an American gunsmith, Deringer, who made a very small pocket pistol in the early 1800s. He spelled his name Deringer with one 'r', but people began writing the gun's name as derringer with two 'r's, and so today derringer means a tiny, easily hidden pistol you can carry in your pocket.